


Fool Me Once, Shame On Me

by mystified_mint



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mastermind!Shuichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 23:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18158570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystified_mint/pseuds/mystified_mint
Summary: The mastermind isn't who it's supposed to be, and Kokichi's plan is derailed. No one suffers for it more than Kaito.





	Fool Me Once, Shame On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Alternatively titled "Being Mean to Kaito for Almost 1700 Words".

Groggily, Kaito opened his eyes, regaining consciousness bit by bit. His muscles protested as he tried to sit up, body still sore from being lifted like a ragdoll. The Exisal’s grip had been far from gentle, and he was sure he’d see bruising within a few hours. However, when he looked down to check, he finally realized…

He was tied to a chair.

“What the fuck?” he mouthed to himself, beginning to struggle. “What the fuck?!” he exclaimed when the ropes around him held firm.

Then it hit him… Kokichi. The mastermind of the killing game. Kokichi had captured him with the Exisal, meaning he must’ve been the one behind this, too. Righteous anger flooded his veins as his efforts to escape redoubled, and he privately swore he’d make the bastard pay for all the humiliation and suffering he’d inflicted.

Suddenly, he heard the door being unlocked, and he braced himself for a confrontation. He eyed the doorknob as it slowly turned open, then lifted his gaze to see…

“Shuichi?” Confusion, but more importantly relief, filled his heart. Even though they’d barely been on speaking terms since the last trial, he couldn’t deny that he was glad to see his sidekick again. “What are you doing here? Where’s Kokichi?”

“How much do you remember?” Shuichi asked quietly. It wasn’t the response Kaito expected, but he shrugged it off.

“Kokichi exposed himself as the mastermind and mocked us, then I tried to attack him, but he used the Exisal to grab me. I think I knocked out after that.”

“Oh, so you didn’t hear what that came after…”

“Came after? What happened? Did I miss something big?” Kaito’s earlier unease returned as Shuichi approached him. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut.

“Well, to sum things up, Kokichi was lying again. He isn’t actually the mastermind.” Now standing right in front of him, Shuichi leaned forward, closing the distance between them until his face was just inches away. Despite the circumstances, he looked calm. Far calmer than Kaito had ever seen him. “The truth is…”

Then, with only three words, he shattered Kaito’s reality.

“I’m the mastermind.”

Kaito didn’t know what expression he made, but his feelings must’ve shown on his face, because Shuichi immediately started cackling.

“There it is! There’s the look I wanted to see! The disbelief, the betrayal, THE DESPAIR!” His eyes shone with wicked glee, reminiscent of Kokichi yet… indescribably worse. “Buddying up to you really was my best idea yet!”

“W-What the hell is wrong with you?!” Kaito snapped once he found his voice, still not quite accepting the situation, yet unable to ignore the other’s behavior.

“Nothing,” Shuichi replied, then tilted his head in thought. “Or maybe everything, depending on your perspective. Either way, I’m having fun, and that’s really all that matters.”

Fury and horror battled for dominance within Kaito’s mind, though neither did him any good. Even with the mastermind standing right in front of him, he was helpless to take action, trapped and betrayed by the very person he’d trusted most.

“It’s sinking in, isn’t it?” Shuichi smiled. “Everything you’ve stood for… all the good you’ve tried to do… meaningless, because you decided to believe in me.” Insanity swirled in his eyes. “What are you gonna do now, hero? I’m absolutely dying to know.”

 

* * *

 

“Shit,” Kokichi cursed under his breath. “FUCKING SHIT!” he repeated, kicking over a chair.

The others watched on with varying levels of concern, uncertain how to approach him.

“Calm down,” Maki finally commanded, grabbing him by the shoulder. She caught his arm when he tried to lash out, neither surprised nor bothered. “We need to come up with a plan.”

Unhappy being ordered around by someone who’d nearly killed him twice, Kokichi was very tempted to struggle. However, he knew it would be futile, not to mention a waste of time. The fact was that she was right. They needed to regroup and think of a way to save Kaito.

Kaito…

Kokichi felt like kicking himself. He’d miscalculated badly, and now Kaito was the one paying for it. How many people had to suffer before he could do something right? How many had to die as a direct consequence of his own plans?

“Kokichi,” Kiibo suddenly addressed him. “You were the one in control of the Exisals until Shuichi reclaimed them. Is there any information you can provide that might be of use?”

He pushed the worst of his thoughts away. Right now, they had to work together. With the true mastermind revealed, they had a common enemy, and at the very least he finally knew who among them was trustworthy.

 

* * *

 

“Look at you,” Shuichi crooned, brushing his fingers against Kaito’s cheek. “You couldn’t be any less heroic if you tried.” His face split into a grin when Kaito flinched. “But you knew that already, didn’t you?”

“Don’t touch me!” Kaito barked, attempting to lean back, only to be impeded by the ropes coiled around him.

“It’s all your fault for believing in me, isn’t it? You overestimated your judgement, and that’s why people kept getting hurt. You contributed to this killing game just as much as I did.”

“SHUT UP!” Kaito finally shouted, only to trigger a violent coughing fit. Blood dripped down his chin and splattered against his shirt, even speckling the ropes with red.

Shuichi looked delighted.

“Hey, Kaito, you wanna live don’t you?” he whispered in his ear. “Why don’t you beg me for the cure to your illness? After all, I’m the one who made you sick, which means I’m also the one who can make you better.” He took hold of Kaito’s face, forcing him to meet his deranged eyes. “What do you think? Are you tempted?”

Kaito promptly spat in his face.

“Stubborn until the end, huh?” Shuichi mused, wiping himself with the dangling sleeve of Kaito’s jacket. For a brief second, he looked normal, just like the meek detective Kaito had known. Then his gaze sharpened, his hands clasped around Kaito’s neck… and he squeezed.

“Ghh!” Kaito choked, beginning to struggle as Shuichi strangled him. It wasn’t long before his lungs were aching worse than ever before.

“Well, aren’t you going to fight me?” Shuichi mocked. “You refused to beg, so I guess you don’t want the cure, but does that mean you’re ready to die?”

The realization that he was about to be killed… that the end was even sooner than expected… that the very last thing he’d see would be Shuichi- no, the mastermind’s demented grin…

In that moment, Kaito was truly afraid.

And then Shuichi let go.

“Did I scare you?” he asked, sounding almost pleasant. “You definitely looked scared.” Abandoning his seat on Kaito’s lap, he stood up and made his way towards the door. “Killing you right now would be easy, and I’m sure everyone’s despair once they found your corpse would be amazing, but… it’d be such a waste. Anyway, I’ve got some other business to take care of, so I won’t be back for a few hours. Try not to choke on your own blood before then.”

And then Kaito was completely alone, left only with his thoughts as company.

 

* * *

 

“You don’t think Shuichi’s hurting him, do you?” Tsumugi worried.

“We should hurry up,” Himiko frowned.

“I’m ready to go,” Maki stated, lifting up an electrohammer. “If Kiibo and I take care of all the Exisals, you’ll be able to handle Shuichi on your own, right?”

Kokichi nodded solemnly.

“I won’t let the mastermind get away this time.”

 

* * *

 

A long while later, though there was no telling how much time had actually passed, Kaito heard a commotion coming from outside. Physically and mentally drained from his extended confinement, he barely lifted his head when the door eventually swung open.

He sprang to life, however, as soon as he saw who was there.

“K-Kokichi!” 

“Hiya, Kaito!” Kokichi greeted cheerfully. “Happy to see me?”

Kaito stared at him for several seconds, seeing but not quite believing, before his eyes welled up with tears. Kokichi instantly faltered, all emotion draining from his face.

“Uh, not quite the welcome I was expecting,” he reflexively quipped, only to trail off. Though he’d considered the possibility that Kaito might be shaken by the night’s events, to see his designated rival crying at the mere sight of him…

How was he supposed to react?

Gathering himself, Kokichi decided that releasing Kaito first would be the most practical course of action.

“I’m going to untie you, okay?” he reassured. He felt a twinge in his chest when Kaito squeezed his eyes shut, pushing out more tears as a result. “It’s… it’s okay. You’re safe now. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

Cautiously, Kokichi began untying the ropes around Kaito’s body, quickly freeing his arms. Once that was done, he got to work on the ropes around Kaito’s legs. The fact that Kaito didn’t say anything else only added to his discomfort. 

“Alright, that’s all of them. Can you stand?”

“I… don’t know.”

Pushing himself to his feet, Kaito attempted to walk forward, only to stumble as the feeling of pins and needles overwhelmed him. Kokichi caught him before he could hit the ground.

“Guess that’s a no,” Kokichi sighed, helping him sit against the wall instead. “Whatever. I’m sure Maki won’t have any trouble carrying you out of here. She was demolishing the other Exisals earlier, so she’ll probably join us real soon.”

“What happened to Shuichi?” Kaito couldn’t help but ask. “Is he-” Kaito stopped, realizing he was about to ask if Shuichi was alright. Even after everything, he was still struggling to accept the truth. 

The Shuichi he'd believed in had been a lie. Their entire friendship had been a lie. There was no point trying to help him anymore.

Kokichi scooted closer, bumping their knees together, seeming to understand what was going through Kaito’s mind.

“He’s alive. Unconscious, but alive. We’re going to interrogate him later.”

“Oh...”

An uncomfortable silence descended upon them, during which time tears continued rolling down Kaito’s cheeks. Wordlessly, Kokichi offered Kaito his scarf, only slightly surprised when Kaito actually took it.

He looked away when he heard sobbing.

**Author's Note:**

> _Someday I will write saimota with the affectionate fluff it deserves, but today is not that day._
> 
> Anyway, I read and cherish every comment, so please let me know what you think!


End file.
